This week’s column is on pirates. Not the movie kind, but the online illegal downloading kind. Criminals? Sure. But deep down, we love them. ‘Cause without them, online music couldn’t be what it is today. A look at the populist movement behind online piracy. …

It’s a two-part post — First, what it’s like to come face to face with your own pathetic friendship criteria. And second, what a former Seattleite and founder of Gottabet.com will wager on Facebook’s success. …

Behind every technological change is a cultural one, and Internet-based office applications like Google Apps could change the way America works — pushing staffers to more collaboration and faster deployment of raw ideas but also further blurring the line between work and play. …